CSAA Signals: VoIP Amendment Goes to Committee

This issue of the CSAA Signals is brought to you by our sponsor:

Please visit www.altronix.com for information about its products or click on the banner above.

Please thank our 2006 CSAA Electronic Security Forum & Exposition Sponsors: ADI (Thursday Opening Social Event Beverages); Altronix (Thursday CSAA Board of Directors Luncheon); Bosch Security Systems (Thursday CSAA Board, Sponsors & Exhibitors Dinner); DICE Corporation (Saturday Continental Breakfast); Digital Security Controls (Sunday Continental Breakfast); DMP (Saturday Afternoon Coffee Break and hotel keycards); FireLite (Friday Spouses/Guests Hospitality); GE Security (Happy Hour at the Exhibit Hall); HID Corp. (Luncheon at the Exhibit Hall); Honeywell Security (Sunday CSAA Excellence Awards luncheon); Innovative Business Software (Saturday Morning Coffee Break); LaSalle Bank (Friday Afternoon Coffee Break); Micro Key Software (Opening Reception Food (partial)); NAPCO Security Group (Friday Continental Breakfast); Security Industry Association (Forum Sponsor); and System Sensor (Friday morning Coffee Break and Saturday Spouses/Guests Hospitality).

CSAA's VoIP Concerns to be Addressed by Commerce Committee

Please Continue to Contact Your Member(s) of Congress

As we have previously communicated, Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) is leading the charge to get the alarm industry's concerns on VoIP included in the rewriting of the Telecommunications Act. Bill Signer, the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) lobbyist, developed an amendment and a letter that was delivered to all the Members of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee the night before the Bill was considered. (Please click on underlined links to access the amendment and Signer's letter.)

On Wednesday, April 5, Stearns raised our proposed amendment to the Subcommittee. He emphasized that consumers have paid substantial amounts to protect their homes and families with alarm systems and that it was not unreasonable to require VoIP providers to tell customers that by choosing VoIP they might disconnect their alarm system and should get it checked.

Congressmen Elliott Engel (D-NY) and Edolphus ("Ed") Towns (D-NY) supported Stearns' request and urged that our proposed amendment be included in the Bill.

Subcommittee Member Fred Upton (R-MI) said he wanted it included as part of the bill when it was taken up at full Committee, but that he had some concerns about the language. He pledged to work with Stearns, Engel, and Towns on language that would make the VoIP alarm monitoring consumer notification provision part of the bill that will emerge from the full Committee after the Easter recess. The subcommittee will work on refining the language between now and when the Bill is taken up in full Committee.

We Still Need Your Help--Action Points

The VoIP issue is at a critical crossroad. We need your help to make sure that our concerns are included in the Bill.

1. CALL your Congressperson on the House Energy and Commerce Committee at home during the recess on April 10 - 24. Call TODAY for the appointment. You can use our VoIP briefing letter, along with our proposed amendment.

The link below has a list of all the Members on the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as their phone numbers, addresses, and the e-mails for their staff. If your Member of Congress appears on this list, please contact them.

House Energy and Commerce Committee List

2. Below is a list of key Committee members we urge you to make a special effort to contact. If you do business in any of the states below, please contact the following Members of Congress. The stars indicate the most critical members.

Joe Barton (R-TX) *****Chairman of the full Committee
Fred Upton (R-MI) *** Chairman of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee
Nathan Deal (R-GA)
Charlie Norwood (R-GA)
John Shimkus (R-IL) *
Heather Wilson (R-NM)
Charles Chip Pickering (R-MS) ** key player
Vito Fossella (R-NY)
Roy Blunt (R-MO) - Majority Whip of the House
Sue Myrick (R-NC)
Mike Fergerson (R-NJ) *
Joseph Pitts (R-PA) *
Tim Murphy (R-PA) *
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) * key player
John Dingell (D-MI) * Ranking Committee Dem.
Ed Markey (D-MA) * Ranking Subcommittee Dem.
Rick Boucher (D-VA) * key player
Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) running for Senate! All companies operating in Ohio should call!
Bart Gordon (D-TN) * key player
Bobby Rush (D-IL) * key player
Anna Eshoo (D-CA) * key player
Elliot Engel (D-NY) * alarm industry ally
Al Wynn (D-MD)
Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) leadership

If you have any questions, or need help in how to contact your Members of Congress, or to make an appointment, please feel free to contact Bill Signer, 202-973-3141 or Ankur Brahmbhatt in Bill Signer's office at 202-973-3130.